Car-brake-beam safety-chain holder.



G. L. SCHWARTZ.

I GAR BRAKE BEAM SAFETY CHAIN HOLDER.

uruonxon FILED mm. 26, 1910.

976,220. Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. wAsanvoron, v

scnwanrz,

CARL L.

OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL L. SCHWARTZ, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Brake-Beam Safety-Chain Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to the holder or clip usually combined with a wheel or finger-guard, for the attachment to an outside hung car brake-beam, (or when the latter is suspended from the car body independently of the truck) of the safety-chain, which in the case of breakage of one of the brake-hangers prevents the brakebeam from falling to the track, and my invention has for its object to facilitate access to the fastenings of the holder for disconnecting it and the chain from the brake-beam when in service.

It consists in features of novelty as hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, whereon,

Figure 1, is a top plan view of my in1- proved safety-chain holder and combined finger-guard as applied to the end portion of a car I-shaped brake-beam (broken away), and corresponding view of the brake-block and shoe in engagement with the wheel (broken away) adjacent thereto; Fig. 2, a cross section through the brakebeam on line 2, 2, in Fig. 1, showing the holder and combined parts in side elevation, and Fig. 3, a viewof the end of the safetychain holder as seen from the outside of the brake-beam.

Like letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

a represents one end portion of a car brake-beam preferably made of rolled iron Ishaped in cross section, and having its web 1 arranged horizontally, b is the brake-block with its appendages which is fixed to the brake-beam a for engagement with the corresponding wheel 0 and suspended from the truck frame or car body (as the case may be) by the brake-hanger d, all the said parts being of the ordinary well-known construction.

6 is the safety-chain (broken away) which in the present case is assumed to be suspended at its upper end from the car body (not shown) and its bottom link 2 connected to my improved holder which is fixed to the brake-beam a as hereinafter more particu- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 26, 1910.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910. Serial No. 551,686.

larly described and consists of a preferably circular (or otherwise shaped) bar or rod 7 which is arranged longitudinally and preferably horizontally across the brake-beam a at the top, the bar f'having a suitable distance from each end, a bend or crook 3 which in the assembled position of the bar 7 is upwardly directed, preferably above the web 1 and between the upper inner and outer flanges (or equivalent members) at, 4, respectively, of the brake-beam a, the straight part 3 of the bar f between the inner end thereof and the bend 3 being passed freely through a correspondingly shaped opening 5 formed therefor horizontally through the inner flange or member 4:, and preferably adapted beyond the latter to form the finger-guard for preventing excessive longitudinal play of the brake-beam a in the usual well-known manner, the straight part 3 of the bar 7 between its other end and the bend 3 having a diametrically reduced and screw-threaded end portion 6 which is passed through and beyond a corresponding opening 5 formed therefor horizontally through the outer flange or member 4 of the beam at until the shoulder 6 formed by the reduced portion 6 with the straight part 3 of the bar f is stopped by the inner face of the flange or member 4;, in which position the bar 7' with its bend 3 upward as before mentioned, is securely fixed to the brake-beam a by a nut 7 which being turned on the screw-threaded portion 6 from the outside of the beam a into engagement with the outer face of the flange a tightens the shoulder 6 against the inner face of the flange 4E and thereby clamps the bar or holder f to the brake-beam a, the nut 7 being preferably combined with a cotter or pin 7 through the screw-thread ed portion 6 thereat.

It is here noted that if desired the straight part 3 of the holder forming the fingergua-rd beyond the inner side of the beam a may be eliminated or shortened and a separate finger-guard used independent of the holder f without departure from the principle of my invention.

For connecting the safety-chain e to the brake-beam a by my improved holder, the bar f is initially inserted either at the end of its straight part 3 through the opening 5 from the inner face of the flange 4c, or at the end of its straight part 3 through the same opening from the outer face of the flanged of the beam a, and the bottom link 2 then passed on to the bar f accordingly and into engagement with its bend 3, when the screw-threaded portion 6 is finally passed consisting of a bar arranged longitudinally through the opening 5 of the outer flange & and the bar f secured to the latter by the nut 7 as before stated; and conversely, for disconnecting the link 2 from the holder, the nut 7 is first removed and the screw-threaded portion (3 withdrawn inward from the opening 5 sufliciently clear of the flange t for removing the link 2 from the bar f.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A car brake-beam safety-chain holder, consisting of a bar arranged longitudinally across the said beam and having a bend intermediate to its ends, the said bend being adapted for engagement by the said chain, a bearing in the said beam for the bar between each end thereof and the said bend,

and means for removably fixing the bar to the said beam from the outer side thereof.

2. A car brake-beam safety-chain holder,

across the said beam and having a bend intermediate to its ends, the said bend being adapted for engagement by the said chain, and the said bar in one direction from the said bend being adapted to form a fingerguard for the said beam, a bearing in the said beam for the bar between each end thereof and the said bend, and means for removably fixing the bar to the said beam from the outer side thereof.

CARL L. SGHWVABTZ \Vitnesses HAL C. BELLVILLE, C. T. VVESTLAKE. 

